When distribution is done this year, 9,000 hotspot devices will go out to students in LAUSD for a total of almost 22,500 in Southern California.

Image courtesy of Sprint

Last week on the opposite coast 14,000 high schoolers in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools were the first recipients in that school district to receive the wireless devices as well as Samsung smartphones.

The project is intended to help fill what educators have dubbed the "homework gap" — the situation that exists when schools expect all students to be able to use technology to do their homework, even those who lack access to computers or internet connectivity at home.

School districts can apply to the second year of the 1Million Project if they can identify between 1,200 and 20,000 students who lack high-speed internet access at home. The program unfolds over four years within the district, with the expectation that the schools have community support. Applications will be accepted through early spring 2018 for programs that will begin at the start of the 2018-2019 school year; those beginning then will run through 2021-2022. Students will receive free internet service through that final school year, whether they receive their devices in the first year of the program or the fourth year.

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Digital intrusions, malware, ransomware and the risks of living in a connected world have come to K–12 education and are becoming more threatening as school districts make greater use of advanced technology. IT departments can be challenged by the complexities and urgencies of securing K–12 learning environments. However, a Cybersecurity Framework created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can help organize and simplify their security planning and implement the right measures.
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